Star Wars: The Force of the Twi'lek
by prese
Summary: In the year 3972 before the battle of Yavin, a Twi'lek padawan, Hame Koon, and her master, Arissa Ghi, are sent to planet Adamastor to investigate a murder committed by a Sith lord. The matters aren't made any easier by the planet's conservative senate, who believe that the planet is better without the Jedi and the Republic...
1. Prologue

The room was filling with smoke. DG-004, a protocol droid, was laying on the floor in small pieces. He had come to the room just earlier to invite master Moon'go Baath to meet master Wenyum to discuss an urgent issue; an unknown ship, accompanied by four Sith starfighters, had entered the orbit and was coming towards the Jedi Training Center.

Hame Koon opened her eyes. She was a young female Twi'lek, and she had just been discussing Force with her master, when the whole wall had exploded.  
"Master", Koon whispered. She had been thrown away from the table by the impact, and now she was reaching for her lightsaber.  
"Master", she repeated, trying to regain her balance to stand up. Koon looked around, trying to spot her Bith master, when she noticed a smoking corpse laying in front of the door.  
"Master!" she screamed as she ran to the corpse.  
"Master Baath!"

But Moon'go Baath didn't reply. After serving the Republic and the Jedi Order for thirty years, Baath had met his end.  
"Master!" the Twi'lek cried. The door was cut open by a lightsaber, and an old Mon Calamari male, master Wenyum, stepped in.  
"Master Baath!" yelled the Mon Calamari.  
"He... he..." Koon tried to say.  
"Hame, you must leave the building now, with the other padawan. The Center has been breached, and the Sith are trying to destroy it. Master Baath wouldn't want you to risk your safety!" Wenyum instructed.  
"Master Wenyum... will you... will you make sure that the Sith will pay for their doings?" Koon asked, still crying.  
"I will personally bring the one who did this to this room and show him what he has done", Wenyum promised.

Of course, he didn't. That day was the deadliest in the history of planet Centares, as hundreds of Jedi perished in the event later known as the battle of Centares. The Jedi Training Center was demolished, but at least the ones responsible were killed in the battle. Hame Koon herself saw from the carrier ship, that was carrying her out from the planet, how the gunship that killed Baath fell into an acid lake and exploded.

Three days later, she had returned to the ruins. Hame Koon stood silently, watching her master's grave and trying to kept the tears inside her.  
"Did you lose someone?" said a calming female voice behind her. She turned around and saw a female human.  
"Yes. My master, Moon'go Baath... he was the first victim of the assault", Koon explained. Tears started flowing again.  
"I am sorry for you", replied the woman. "What is your name, young one?"  
"Hame Koon." She took a small break between the sentences, and decided that this was as good time to open up as any. Master Wenyum, the only other adult who actually cared about her, was on Coruscant, taking care of important business.  
"I have been a Jedi padawan for one full year now, although I don't know if I'm going to continue my training..."

"Why not?" replied the surprised human.  
"My master is dead and... and I'm afraid that I can't defense myself against the Sith if they come after me!" Koon replied. She had been considering the decision for a few days now.  
"The best way to defend against the Sith is to master the Force", the woman said. She, too, was quiet for a while, until she added: "If you want, I can train you."

Hame Koon looked at the woman, now smiling for the first time since Baath's death.  
"Of course", the woman continued, "we need to discuss it with the Jedi Council. But if it's fine for them, it's fine for me."

Koon looked back at Baath's grave.  
"That's what my master would have wanted, anyway... to continue my training..."  
"I believe so, too. My name is Arissa Ghi", the woman replied. "I lost someone in the battle, too. My good friend, master Fergus Onom... he was the one who ended it all. He killed the Sith lord, sacrificing himself."  
"Brave", Koon replied, and then the two looked at the graves in silence.


	2. Chapter 1: Murder

**Bonglux City, planet Adamastor, 3972 years before the battle of Yavin**

Nautolan senator Manbo Fee was sitting in his chair. The meeting was just about to begin, and he and his fellow politicians were waiting for the remaining members of the opposing, conservative party. The Adamastorian Conservatists, as the party called themselves, were against the Republic's planned checkpoints on the watery planet. They were afraid that the Republic and the Jedi Order would strip the mostly water-covered planet from its rich minerals and plants.

The liberal party were supposed to meet two representatives of the conservatist party to discuss matters concerning a planned business deal with the Republic; Republic would promise to protect the planet from any incoming threats, and Adamastor would in exchange give a huge discount on the mineral prices. The Republic requires some of Adamastor's precious metals to make more powerful weapons and shields.

Now, however, the representatives of the Adamastorian Conservatists hadn't appeared on the meeting, when it should have started ten minutes ago. Manbo Fee talked to his personal assistant, a Mon Calamari named Vingo, about the deal's good and bad sides.  
"I think it really is a good opportunity in these times of war and despair", Vingo said.  
"I agree", Manbo replied. "I'm just wondering where-"

The door was suddenly and rapidly opened. A man, wearing a mask similar to gas masks, stepped in.  
"Good evening, gentlemen", the man said in a metallic voice.  
"Who are-"  
"Manbo Fee", the man interrupted the senator.  
"My name is Darth Mato. I am here to kill you all", the man explained.

Manbo pressed a small, red button under the table. Darth Mato started laughing.  
"Guards cannot do anything to save you anymore." The masked man jumped on the table and revealed his two-bladed lightsaber. He spun his lightsaber around, cutting the heads of every man and woman sitting around the table.

Manbo Fee watched in horror as his friends and supporters were killed in a few swings of the saber. The masked man then stopped in the middle of the table, with only Manbo Fee remaining.  
"Senator Fee", the man said.  
"Are you... afraid?"  
"Of death?" Manbo replied. "Of course not. I wasn't expecting it, but I'm certainly not afraid of it."  
"No. Not death. But me", Darth Mato said.  
"You? Why?  
"You should know", the masked man replied.  
"I know why you really want the Republic and the Jedi to come here. You want to ensure the anarchy, make sure that the Sith will never establish order on your little society. You are afraid of me, because I am Sith lord."  
"Don't you dare mention those criminals in my office!" Manbo yelled and stood up.

The Sith, led by a man named Gorl, had tried to raise to power thirty years ago, before the Jedi arrived and chased Gorl and his apprentice to Geonosis, where he was captured. Darth Mato was right; Manbo was afraid of the Sith. He feared that there still remained some Sith on the planet, waiting to perform a strike on the senate. And now they had.

"My master will be pleased to hear about your death", Darth Mato said in his metallic voice.  
"I am not dead yet", Manbo replied. Darth Mato revealed his lightsaber again. Suddenly, the senator pulled an electrostaff out of his jacket.  
"If you want to kill me, then you better beat me in a fight", Manbo said.

Darth Mato swung his lightsaber, igniting sparks when it hit the electrostaff.  
"The guards will arrive soon", Manbo yelled over the sounds of the clashing weapons. Darth Mato struck harder than Manbo was prepared for, and he was pushed backwards towards the window with every hit.  
"You have betrayed Adamastor with your pitiful attempts to fight against the order", Darth Mato claimed. He struck even more furiously.  
"I have betrayed Adamastor? You killed half of the senate!" Manbo shouted. Suddenly, Darth Mato kicked the senator to the knee, making him collapse on his knees. With a quick swing, his electrostaff was cut in half.

"Your life has come to an abrupt end", the Sith said, laughing.  
"I just..." Manbo said. He hopped up and ripped the Sith lord's mask off.  
"You!" Manbo yelled. Before he could say anything else, Darth Mato had stabbed him with his lightsaber.  
"I would enjoy having a little chat with you, but unfortunately, you are dead", Darth Mato said. The senator tried to catch his breath, unsuccessfully.

Darth Mato deactivated his lightsaber and let the senator fall on his knees.  
"Goodbye, senator Manbo Fee", the Sith lord said. Then he put on his mask and left the room. Soon after that, the guards finally arrived to check the situation, only to find every major member of the liberal party dead.


	3. Chapter 2: Arrival

Hame Koon was standing in a middle of a transport ship's cargo hold, holding her lightsaber up. Her eyes were covered with a cloth. She was quiet, concentrating. She could sense the Force spinning around the room, taking forms and slowly settling on different objects, but still always moving.

Suddenly, something was coming for her legs in an increasing speed. She quickly swung her lightsaber, blocking her master's attack.  
"Good", Arissa Ghi said.  
"Now let's try that again." Hame Koon concentrated her senses again. She could again see the faint, shaking image of the cargo hold in her mind. This time, however, nothing moved in a long while. She moved her head a little, trying to find her master. Suddenly, she could sense movement, but there still seemed to be nobody in the cargo hold.

She spun around and blocked another attack from her master, who had snuck behind her.  
"Excellent", Ghi said, smiling. "However, I think we should keep these" - she looked at her lightsaber - "hidden during the visit. We want the Sith lord to appear, and he certainly won't if he knows there are Jedi present on the meeting."

The transport ship landed on the Bonglux City spaceport. The two Jedi were on planet Adamastor to oversee an emergency meeting and ensure the safety of the planet's president and senators. Third of the liberal party's members in senate had been murdered a week earlier, and the Jedi were there to confront the Sith lord and bring him to justice. Only the planet's president and a few of his assistants knew that there were going to to be disguised Jedi joining the meeting.

Master Ghi and her padawan left the ship and soon they were escorted in their hotel room.  
"Prepare yourselves. Mister president is going to meet you soon", a protocol droid explained. He then left the Jedi to dress up properly for the national meeting. They put on very formal clothes, looking like intergalactic businessmen.  
"This couldn't be any more uncomfortable", Hame Koon said as she had finished dressing up.  
"I know", Ghi replied. "Don't worry, if we get in a fight, just throw it off."  
"Do you think we will get in a fight?"  
"I hope so, but I cannot tell. The Sith have tried to bring about a revolution earlier, but the Jedi managed to stop it. Now the president is from the Adamastor Conservatists, so it's possible that they will seize every interaction with the Republic and make way for a new Sith revolution. If only they realised that", Ghi explained.

Hame Koon listened carefully. She was already nineteen years old, and she had been trained by master Ghi for twelve years now. They had went on many trips around the galaxy, but had never actually met a Sith lord. Koon was excited, but also afraid, since this time it was very probable that the murderer would reveal himself. Worst part was that he probably didn't work alone, but instead had a master who sent him to do the field work. That was how the Sith hierarchy often worked.

Soon, the door was opened. A human male stepped in, followed by a very important-looking Quara Aqualish male and four soldiers.  
"Hello", the Aqualish greeted the Jedi. "My name is Bo Nand, and I am the president of planet Adamastor. This", he pointed at the human male who stood beside him, "is senator Phi Worm. He is my right-hand man, and he was almost killed by the Sith lord."  
"I am Arissa Ghi, and this is my padawan, Hame Koon", the Jedi master introduced herself.  
"It is a pleasure to meet you", Koon said.  
"Let's get to the issue", Phi Worm said. "If I hadn't been late from the meeting, the Sith lord could have killed me, too. While we should be somewhat joyful about the sudden deaths of our political opponents, we cannot still feel safe like this."

"Yes", Ghi replied. "That is why we came so quickly; to oversee the meeting of the senate. Even if there are more people present, it is still reasonable to believe that the Sith might strike again."

"Exactly", the president said. "We have another concern. There is a very persistent rumour that the Sith of Adamastor... wouldn't be connected to the Sith lords outside our planet. That means they might have their own rules, and they might be even more ruthless than what you've met before. We cannot allow our planet to become a nest for the Sith", he explained.  
"We will do our best to catch the Sith", Koon said. "When does the meeting begin?"  
"In an hour. I expect you to be there. Oh", the president added, "you shouldn't reveal your Jedi identity to anyone before or during the meeting. That will scare the Sith, and you won't be able to detain him."

The president, his assistant and their guards left the hotel room.  
"Do you think you are ready for this?" Ghi asked from her padawan.  
"I think so. I have never fought a Sith lord before."  
"They are ruthless", Ghi explained. "They fight using the dark side of the Force, not only trying to kill you, but also scar you for life, make you regret your decision to not join them. And they even kill their own, if necessary. If what the president said is true - that the Sith Order of Adamastor is not affiliated with the other Sith - they might be even more thirsty for power and respect, prepared to murder everyone who steps in their way, including senator Manbo Fee."  
"But", Koon replied, "is the president really in danger? He is a conservative, so he is against the Republic and the Jedi. Why are we even helping him?"  
"Hame!" Ghi yelled. "We are Jedi. If anything, this a possibility to show president Nand, how noble and useful the Jedi are. Besides, even if the president doesn't want Jedi activity on his planet, we still must defeat the Sith. They cannot be allowed to grow too strong."

Koon nodded. "Understood", she said. The two then hid their sabers in their belts and stepped out of the room.  
"It is time to attend a meeting", Ghi replied.


	4. Chapter 3: Sith Lord

"Senators of Adamastor", began the president. "An unpredictable tragedy has met us, as one third of the senators of the liberal party were murdered last week, including their political leader, senator Manbo Fee. For those of you who didn't know, the strike was performed by a Sith lord whose identity remains unknown. The investigations are still under way, but in the meantime, we must remain strong and united. Of course, this national meeting also has a more important reason to it. We have to finally decide, whether we will begin our work with the Republic and the Jedi Order or not."

Hame Koon was looking around the conference room. It consisted of a large frontal section, where the senators could tell their opinions and give their speeches. The listeners and the other senators were sitting on their labeled seats, placed next to each other in a way resembling a lecture hall's structure.

"First", the president continued. "I would like to hear the opinion of the Adamastor Conservatists' regional leader from the Crooglax City. Could you please come here, senator Jiggharra Huujank?"

Hame kept looking around. He could see people from various different races, sitting in their seats. Adamastor was mostly covered in water, with huge cities built to float, connected by either bridges or hover trains. Because of that, most of the attending senators were from species that are natural to water, like Nautolan, Aqualish and Mon Calamari. Interestingly, Hame thought, the president was actually a Quara, a subspecies of the Aqualish that isn't as capable of swimming as the Aquala Aqualish.

A Mon Calamari senator stood up. Jiggharra Huujank was an old and wise-looking man, probably very experienced in the politics. Koon, who was also interested in the politics of the different planets of the galaxy, was eager to hear his opinion on the Republic dispute.

A body of a Nautolan guard was thrown through the conference room's door. The senators of the room, especially liberalists, hid under their seats. The guards quickly ran to the door, only to be killed by the intruder. The intruder, a masked man with a two-bladed lightsaber, easily dispatched the guards and entered the room.

The president stood bravely behind his lectern, looking the intruder to the eyes.  
"I am not afraid of you, Sith lord!" Bo Nand yelled.  
"I don't care", the man replied in his metallic voice. He was wearing a long, black robe, and black, leathery jacket and pants under it. His face was hidden by a mask that looked like an old gas mask. He walked down the aisle between the seats, stopping next to row where Arissa Ghi and Hame Koon sat.  
"Should we attack him?" Koon whispered to Ghi. They both had their hands in their lightsabers.  
"Wait. Let's see if he has something to say", her master replied.

"Hello, Jedi", the man said, looking at Koon and Ghi.  
"I see that murdering Manbo Fee and those other filthy Jedi-supporters wasn't enough of a message. Well, let me say it clearly: you are not welcome on Adamastor."

Ghi and Koon stood up, revealing their lightsabers.  
"You are under arrest for the murder of seventeen senators!" Ghi yelled. "Drop your weapon and surrender! The authorities of Adamastor will decide your fate!" The masked man looked at her and started laughing.  
"Those seventeen senators were all traitors. Adamastor can handle its own problems", the man replied. "My name is Darth Mato, and I am here to kill you. Prepare to die", he finished.

Darth Mato swung his arm, sending the lectern and the president flying to the wall. A few guards quickly pulled the president away, and the senators fled the room after they noticed that the Sith lord was not after them. Darth Mato walked to the stage and dropped his robe. The Jedi followed, leaving their formal outfits behind and revealing their fighting outfits.

Darth Mato activated his lightsaber again and confronted the Jedi. Koon jumped towards him, but he easily blocked her attack, throwing her backwards to the floor. Darth Mato performed a flip in the air, landing lightsaber-first to the spot where Koon had just laid in, but she had already rolled away.

Ghi swung her lightsaber towards the Sith lord, aiming to cut one of his hands off, but her strike was blocked by the double-bladed lightsaber. Koon had never seen a weapon like that before, and it was probably a very difficult to use, but the Sith lord seemed to handle it well. Koon and Ghi struck simultaneously from two sides, but Darth Mato turned to side and the lightsaber blocked both strikes.

Sparks flew around the stage as Darth Mato struck violently and powerfully. Koon blocked all of his strikes and tried to counterattack, but ended up being wounded on her leg.  
"Augh!" she yelled in pain, and the Sith lord used the moment of her weakness to grab her from her neck.  
"Ach!" the padawan yelled, as Darth Mato choked her with his hand.  
"Let her go!" Ghi shouted, unleashing a series of powerful strikes towards Darth Mato, but the skilled Sith lord blocked them all with his lightsaber, wielding it naturally in his other hand.  
"Fine. I'll let her go", the metallic voice replied, and he threw Koon out of his hand, boosting the flight with Force. The girl flew out of the conference room's window.  
"Hame!" Ghi yelled.  
"Don't worry. She landed on a roof of a lower building", Darth Mato replied, blocking the Jedi master's strikes.  
"But there is nothing but a deep ocean next to the building. We are on the edge of the city. Maybe I should go and check if she's alright", the Sith lord continued. He struck with more power, pushing Ghi towards the door. Suddenly, he opened the door with Force and pushed Ghi out of the room.

Darth Mato closed the door and, using the Force, stacked a pile of seats from the auditorium to block the door. He could hear Ghi bashing the door, trying to force it open, but even lightsaber couldn't easily get through the mess.

Then he walked to the window and jumped through it.

The Sith lord landed on a rooftop. He was correct; there was nothing but ocean next to it. The building was on the most outer edge of the city, with no hopes of swimming back to safety if someone fell of the roof. The buildings were build tall and tube-like, and many of them were partly underwater.

He deactivated his lightsaber to cause less noise, as the rooftop was big and it was raining and dark. He didn't see the girl, but that didn't mean she wasn't there. He looked around, slowly walking to the center of the roof.  
"Blood", he said aloud, when he saw the center. "Fresh blood." He followed the blood that had been dripped to the roof. It ended in the edge of the rooftop, like if someone had been dragged in the roof and then thrown down.  
"What a loss", the Sith lord said aloud, again. "I would have enjoyed killing the girl."

His leg was pierced by a lightsaber.  
"Argh!" the man yelled. Hame Koon stood behind her, holding her lightsaber up.  
"Surrender, Sith lord!" she yelled. She struck the man again, this time to his arm. Darth Mato regained his balance and activated his lightsaber.  
"You will die for that!" he shouted. The Sith lord was angry, and he struck even harder than before. Koon had to concentrate more than ever to block his attacks. She was pushed backwards with every hit, slowly getting closer to another edge of the building.  
"Die!" the Sith lord shouted, finally getting a hit through. Koon's leg was hit, and she fell on her knees. Darth Mato kicked her in the stomach, and she lost her balance. She struggled grab something, before she fell from the edge of the rooftop.

Darth Mato put his lightsaber away and walked to the other edge of the rooftop. He then pulled his sleeve up, revealing a small datapad tied to his arm. He pressed two buttons, and a Sith starfighter appeared from behind the building. He climbed in and disappeared to the night.


	5. Chapter 4: Senator

Hame Koon concentrated. She could yet again see the blue shapes forming around her, settling on the wall of the building. And there it was, on the sky. A huge ship with searchlights on it. She swam upwards, trying to reach the water surface before the ship moved on. However, she had fallen deep, and she wasn't a too good swimmer either. She was a Twi'lek, not a Mon Calamari. Then he sensed something in the Force; her master. Ghi must have been on the ship. She slowed her pace, concentrating again. She tried to locate her master and concentrate on her.

Arissa Ghi was sitting in the police ship, looking down from the opened sidedoor. Just as the ship had arrived, another, unknown ship had left the rooftop, indicating the escape of the Sith lord. Either Koon had driven her away or she had been killed.  
"Do you see anything?" Ghi yelled, trying to be louder than the ship's motors.  
"No", the Nautolan pilot replied. Ghi looked out of the door, trying to spot her padawan from the rooftop or the water.  
"Let's land on the rooftop!" Ghi yelled. Suddenly, her mind was trespassed by a sudden thought.  
"No, wait!" she shouted. "She's in the water! Alive! I can sense it!"

The pilot lowered the ship, almost making it hit the water. Ghi looked around the water, trying to find her padawan.  
"Master Ghi!" she heard someone yell. "I am here!" The searchlights were pointing at a person in the ocean.  
"Hame! Quickly, swim here!"

"I am terribly sorry for what happened in there", the president said. He was standing in the Jedis' hotel room.  
"My men were clearly incompetent, and the senators, most of which were carrying guns, ran away immediately when the Sith lord entered the room. I will speak about this to them", the president continued.  
"You don't have to", Koon said. She was sitting in a chair with dry clothes.  
"Guns don't do much to a Sith, especially if they are from the front."  
"Still, I cannot allow this to happen in my planet", president Bo Nand replied.

The door was opened and Nand's assistant, senator Phi Worm stepped in.  
"I came as quickly as I could. I flew all the way from Duglax Station to here. There had been an explosion in there, and the whole spaceport was sinking. Nothing we could do."  
"Ah, senator Worm, good that you're here! I need to have a talk with you", the president said. The two left the room with the president's guards.

"We have to go sneaking around", Ghi said immediately after they had left.  
"Why?" Koon asked.  
"Because we are Jedi. They wouldn't allow us to see the tapes of Manbo Fee's death, so we have to find them without them knowing."  
"I guess so", the Twi'lek replied. "Do you have any suggestions?"  
"The building on which you fought Darth Mato", her master began, "I believe the Nautolan pilot who helped me rescue you mentioned that we were closing in on the 'security office', or something along those lines."  
"Well, let's head there first. I can't think of a better place to find security tapes", Koon said.

The Jedi left their hotel room and walked downstairs to the hotel's lobby. After leaving the hotel they realised that they had no idea where the security office was. Most of the city was underwater, shielded from the beasts and the water by strong glass domes surrounding the streets. Many buildings rose from the sea, like the spaceport and the auditorium, but many were completely underwater. They decided that the best course of action was to head to auditorium, since it was actually part of a bunch of buildings that seemed like separate towers from the surface but were actually connected inside one big building under the water.

They arrived to the auditorium building and walked inside.  
"Master", Koon said. "If I'm correct, the security office was in that side of the auditorium." She pointed towards a long hallway.  
"Yes, it could be. Let's go."

In the end of the hallway were two doors. Another had the label "Security Office" in it, and the other had no label.  
"I think it's a pretty obvious choice", Koon said.  
"Wait", Ghi replied. "Maybe not. Let's divide. It's best that we are separated anyway, in case that someone sees one of us and demands her to leave."

So, Ghi opened the door to the "Security Office" hallway and Koon went for the unlabeled door. Ghi walked through the hallway, reading the labels in the doors. They were mostly numbers, possibly indicating apartments or such. The hallway took a turn, so Ghi walked to the end of it.  
"Mister president?" Ghi yelled as she turned. Bo Nand was standing in the end of the hallway, near three armed guards.  
"Master Ghi! What are you doing here?" the president replied.  
"I... was looking for you, actually. A guard told me you'd be here."  
"Yes, I am here. There has been a flood in the security office. I came here to check the situation. The guards are here to make sure that nobody enters. Well, why did you want to meet me?" he asked.

"I... I want to hear you opinion, I mean, to this Republic debate. I was eager to hear it in the conference, but Darth Mato interrupted the meeting. So, I was wondering, why do you exactly think that the Republic and the Jedi Order bring harm to your planet?" Ghi asked. She came up with it as she talked, and now she had at least guaranteed some extra time for Koon.  
"Excellent question", the president replied. "You see, I believe that..."

As the president spoke, Hame Koon was sneaking through the other hallway. It was dark and there were dripping pipes on the walls. She tried to see the sign on the door in the end of the hallway, but he eyes hadn't yet adjusted to the dark. When they did, she could see that it was a poorly handwritten sign, saying "Security Office - do not enter, flood".

Hame still entered. She carefully opened the door and walked in. Another cold, wet and dark room. This indeed was the security office. There were display screens on the walls, showing live feed from various plazas and buildings in the city, and underneath them, a big table with a lot of small memory cards sticking out. Hame walked closer and saw that they all had names and numbers of various important rooms and such around the city.  
"No crime goes unnoticed", she thought, as she looked around the table.

The door in the other end of the room was suddenly opened, and startled Hame crouched behind a chair. A man entered, but Hame couldn't see his face in the dark. The man pulled two memory cards from the table and turned to leave.  
"What are you doing?" Hame asked and stood up. The man seemed to also startle, and he turned around. Hame could see that it was senator Phi Worm.  
"Senator Worm! Why are you taking the memory cards?" Hame asked.  
"Why are YOU here?" the senator asked.  
"I- I was here to-"  
"You were to view the tapes and see if you could find any hints that would reveal the Sith's identity, I get it."  
"Well, yes."  
"I knew", the senator claimed. "Don't worry, I am here to do a very similar thing. There isn't actually a flood in here, as you might have noticed. The president and I just thought that this way nobody would see us take the memory cards. You see, we don't believe that all of the security guards can be trusted."  
"Fair enough", Hame replied.  
"Let me turn lights on", Worm said and walked to the switch. Hame could now see that the room was actually huge, and there was a lot of empty room in it.  
"The office was just extended a few months ago. We plan on expanding the city, and we have to make room for the cameras", the senator explained.

"I see", Hame replied. She looked around the room.  
"Tell me", senator Worm suddenly said. "I am interested in the ways of the Force. I have actually even studied it, at least some parts of it. How does it feel like to be a Jedi?"  
"Well", Hame began. "Of course, Force is a-"  
"No", the senator interrupted. "I don't mean Force, but the Jedi Order. What does it feel like? Obeying the Council? Putting your life on risk, killing people who you only have the Council's word on being evil and not just innocent lifeforms standing in the way of Order? Not getting any reward for it? Is it fulfilling?" the senator asked.  
"I don't quite understand what you mean", Hame said.  
"Tell me, Hame Koon, has anyone ever told you about the dark side?"  
"Well, once I was about to be told about it, but a Sith lord killed my master before he could finish", Hame replied.  
"Where did that happen?" Worm asked. He seemed genuinely interested.  
"On planet Centares. The whole Jedi Training Center was destroyed."  
"Ah, yes, the battle of Centares. Mergo Gharr and Darth Deemus led a Sith army to the Center and tried to destroy, but they were stopped by mindless slaves like you are", the senator said.

"What are you-"  
"The Sith, Hame Koon, the Sith are what the galaxy needs! If power is gained by those who can actually have it, the wars will end! If you were allowed to take over a planet without a thousand Jedi hunting you down, no battles would ever be fought again! The Jedi Order is trying to force our galaxy to become a slave of the Jedi Order, whose every movement is guarded by the Council!" the senator yelled. He was becoming increasingly furious as he spoke.

Hame Koon looked at the senator, speechless. Finally she opened her mouth and said:  
"You... are Darth Mato."

The senator opened his jacket's buttons and dropped it on the floor, revealing a black leather outfit and a belt underneath it. Then he grabbed a lightsaber from the belt.  
"Yes, I admit it. I want my planet to achieve peace and be ruled by people who actually care for Adamastor."  
"You killed Manbo Fee!" Koon replied.  
"He was wrong. That is the problem with some people; they are wrong. Tell me, Hame Koon, are you wrong? Or will you join the people who are right?"  
"I would rather die than join you", the Twi'lek replied.  
"I will allow that for you", Darth Mato said.

He lifted his arm up, and Hame realised he couldn't breathe anymore.  
"Ach... let me... go", she managed to say, but the Sith kept Force choking her.  
"I am sorry that I have to do this, but you stand in my way... like the worthless master of yours", the senator said. He was smiling.

Hame lifted her arm up, too, and she closed her eyes to concentrate.  
"Your acts are worthless. A padawan cannot distract a honourable Sith lord. Your Force cannot overpower mine", the senator said.  
"You should... ach... smile more", Koon said, as she was starting to lose consciousness.  
"What? Why?" the Sith lord asked.  
"

Hame had used the Force to interact with the computer, and the live feed from the security office was now shown in every advert display and such in the Bonglux City. Darth Mato dropped the padawan as he reached for the controls of the computer. Too late, as he soon noticed: the video feeds showed citizens all around the city, looking at the big screens that displayed the senator, with his face clearly visible, choking a young girl with his mind.  
"No!" the senator yelled. "No! This cannot be!"

Hame revealed her lightsaber and attacked the Sith lord, but he was quick enough to activate his own saber and block the attack.  
"You have ruined my career! My life! Now the Sith cannot interfere with the senate anymore! You will die for that!"

The lightsaber clashed as the two tried to strike each other. Hame was once again pushed back, but this time she used an opportunity she got to slide under the Sith's lightsaber and wound his leg.  
"Argh!" the Sith yelled.  
"Why", the senator yelled as he struck even more violently than before, "won't you die?"  
"The Force is on my side", the Twi'lek replied.  
"Then why", the Sith said, "am I defeating you?"

Darth Mato kicked Hame to her elbow and then swung his lightsaber to the other, resulting in a smoking wound and Hame's lightsaber flying across the room from her hand.  
"The Jedi will never match the power of the Sith", Darth Mato claimed. Hame was on the ground on her knees, unarmed. The Sith looked at the girl, smiling, and said: "Young padawan, prepare to-"

His lightsaber was pulled from his hand with Force. It hit the floor and was immediately cut in two with a lightsaber.  
"My lightsaber!" the Sith yelled. Suddenly, a Mon Calamari guard shot him with an electric blast. The Sith fell on the floor and two more guards appeared and handcuffed him.  
"Master!" Hame yelled. Arissa Ghi ran to her padawan.  
"Phi! My most trusted friend! How dare you do this to me?" screamed a man who appeared from the door.  
"Mister president, I-" the Sith tried to explain.  
"Arrest him immediately and take him to a cell. He needs to be interrogated", the Aqualish president said to the guards.

"Hame", Ghi asked, "are you alright? I wasn't expecting the senator to be the Sith lord. I shouldn't have sent you here alone, but-"  
"It doesn't matter. The senator is arrested and he will be brought to justice soon. I am fine. Let's go back to the hotel", the Twi'lek replied. The two left the security office.


	6. Epilogue

"Our mission isn't over yet", the human female said to her padawan. "Darth Mato must have had a master. I expect that we will find it out after the interrogations are over."  
"Yes", Hame said. She was drinking her coffee. "It's funny... I've been your padawan for twelve years now, and my training is soon over. And yet..." she said.  
"What?" Ghi asked.  
"I was never told about the powers of the dark side. When we first met, you said that the best way to fight the dark side is to master the Force, but I've yet to understand what makes people interested in the dark side. Senator Worm seemed to think that the Force-sensitive people are somehow better than the ones who cannot control the Force, but that doesn't apply to everyone, does it?" Hame asked.  
"Well, now that you mention it, I never told you about the dark side. I kind of figured that Baath had done it", Ghi said. She poured coffee to her mug.  
"He was about to", Hame told, "but then he shot with a gunship turret."

The two remained quiet for a while.  
"Tomorrow, when you've rested", Ghi proposed, "I will tell you all about the dark side. Everything I know, that is. You can't fight against something that you don't understand", she added.

President Bo Nand stepped into a white room. There was a small window in the wall, and a bed in the corner. In the end of the bed sat a human male.  
"Darth Mato", the president said.  
Senator Worm looked at the president.  
"Mister president-"  
"There is no one listening. Address me properly. Why does everyone on the planet know your identity?" the furious president asked.  
"Master... Darth Camago, I-"  
"You what? You were beaten by a padawan?" the president yelled. "I've worked very hard", he continued, "covering your tracks in the past. I told you to get the memory cards and destroy them, and what did you do? Appear on every screen in the city, showing your face, trying to kill a young girl!"

"Darth Camago, listen, the game isn't over yet, we can still-" the senator tried to explain.  
"No, Darth Mato, we can't! I can, but we can't! Do you know why?" Darth Camago asked from his apprentice.  
"Because 'we' is over!" the president yelled.  
"What do you- ach..." the senator grabbed his neck.  
"I am sorry, Darth Mato, but I clearly made a mistake when I took you as my apprentice. Perhaps the girl will be a better choice", the president said. He held his arm in the air, choking his apprentice.  
"Master... ach... we've known each other... for so long", the senator managed to say, as the air began end in his lungs.  
"I know, Darth Mato, and that's why I'm killing you before you can make yourself any more fool in the eyes of the public", the Aqualish president said. Darth Mato looked his master in the eyes and tried to convince him with the last strength that he had.  
"Master... I..."

The senator's dead body fell on the floor. The president walked to the door and opened it.  
"Dear goodness, I think he's having some kind of attack!" the president yelled to the guards in the hallway. The guards immediately ran inside to check the senator's pulse, only to find him deceased.  
"Oh", the president said, "what a shame."


End file.
